Femslash February 2020 Day 12: Another World.
Déjà Vu to the Time You Saved Me
The doppelganger's head felt like it had been split in two. All she could do was stare at the pitch black clouds above her and accept the rain pelting her face. A warm liquid trickled down her cheek, contrasting with the frigid droplets beating down on her. Her entire body convulsed, chilled to the bone, and despite her strong armor, she felt pliable, like someone could have taken her body and mashed it into a fine paste.
Her eyes crossed and rolled. Her surroundings blurred, becoming a mismatch of greens and browns, but the night sky was the same. The distant full moon reminded her of a golden inkblot. The redwood trees were like splatter paintings, emeralds and earthy tones dotting her vision as she struggled to refocus.
Her fingers sunk through the dirt and grass. She tore through the earth and let it sift into her palm. She teased blades of grass she had pulled up as she tried sitting up, her spine cracking from the effort.
Sandals slapped against the soil and kicked dirt onto her skirt. As blood dribbled down her nose and over her chapped lips, she raised her eyes at the young woman sauntering towards her. Lightning flashed, briefly covering them all. The thunder rolled, and the doppelganger realized the sound of her fan snapping open was louder, making her heart skip a beat.
Rulue tilted her head. The sight of the gasping, writhing doppelganger was certainly a surprise. Not that she would let shock damper her features, no, she had to maintain her authority. She glanced at her hulking companion and jutted her chin outwards.
Minotauros wasted no time at his lady's silent command. From his back, he unclipped a second umbrella and handed Rulue the one he had been holding above her head. He hurried to the doppelganger's side and clutched her arm, dragging her to her feet and steadied her as she wobbled. He placed the umbrella in her hand, forcing her fingers to curl around the hilt, marveling at how fragile she seemed compared to the power she exuded mere months ago.
"Thank you," the doppelganger croaked out, looking at him with half-lidded eyes.
He nodded and returned to Rulue's side. Placing his hand on his axe, he wondered if unclipping it would have been proper. He knew what the doppelganger was capable of, and it still made a tremble run through him. He had seen firsthand when she had done to Satan and had been knocked out cold throughout the entire ordeal with a mere flick of her wrist, her magic stronger than his strength.
"How did you come here? I thought you had been banished from whence you came," Rulue demanded, tightening her grip on her umbrella.
The doppelganger breathed out a chuckle. "Breaking through the barrier is no easy task." She glanced around. "The Hajimari Forest?"
"That's right. You're on a path leading from Gold Town." She clicked her tongue. "You just happened to materialize in front of us during a storm of all things while we were trying to go home."
Her lips spread in a smirk. Haughtiness had always been a part of Rulue. No matter what form she took, that trait refused to be quelled by lessons or humility.
But she couldn't act the same, not when her body felt like it would fall apart. She'd be like a marionette, strings cut, limbs detached. The doppelganger tried taking a step towards them only to wince, pain shooting through her leg and forcing her to kneel before them. She clutched her ankle, her brow wrinkling and lips pursing together as she gripped it, her mind muddling with pain and blood pounding between her ears.
Rulue gestured for Minotauros to follow her. She hurried to the doppelganger's side and banished her apprehension. She wasn't about to leave an injured person behind no matter what they had done. Overpowering her wariness was her nobility in the end, and she examined the wound like a common handmaid.
Blood soaked through the doppelganger's boot. A strangled moan ghosted passed her lips as Rulue ordered Minotauros to inspect the wound with her. Minotauros wasted no time and heard no refusal from their former enemy, wincing as the doppelganger fell onto her bottom and kicked out her legs. He yanked off her boot and gently cupped her foot, shocked that it was drenched with blood and quickly peered back to Rulue.
"Her tendons, I believe they've been cut," Minotauros announced, shuddering when the doppelganger barked out a harsh laugh.
"Of course, I can't get through the gate without an injury," she spat, venom infused in her words. She slammed her knuckles into her free palm. "I guess the barrier gouged me, and I didn't realize it."
"But your boot shows no sign of tear," Rulue said, fiddling with her umbrella.
She bitterly smiled. "Please don't be so foolish. This injury is a result of this realm's creator. He must have-" She cleared her throat. "-ah, a protective way to keep me out. I'll leave it at that. If he wanted to hurt me, he could have blown me to bits when I fiddled with the door."
"Enough of your rambling," Rulue ordered, closing her fan, the clack pinching the doppelganger's tongue. "Minotauros, carry her. We'll apply aid at the dojo and let her rest until the storm passes."
"Is-is that wise, Lady Rulue?" Minotauros asked, his rare questioning making her glare at him. Wincing, he said nothing more and gathered the doppelganger in his strong arms. He avoided looking at her and marched behind Rulue, wishing he didn't have to feel the oily substance slipping on to his pants.
The doppelganger gazed down at Rulue and marveled over her long cerulean hair. Despite the wind beating at them, her hair remained unfrazzled. The long locks had been braided in the center with the rest flowing down her back. She truly resembled a noblewoman, a queen who reigned over her subjects with an unblemished iron fist.
"You know…" she began, Rulue glancing over her shoulder at her. "...this isn't unlike another situation I've been in before."
"And what was that?" she asked, twisting her fan between her fingers.
She closed her eyes and relished the memory. "We were in a forest much like this one, and it suddenly stormed. Rain and thunder and lightning, all of it together. We raced through the beaten paths to the magic school." She remembered the warmth of Rulue's hand in hers, a pleasant contrast to the beating rain. "We were almost home, but bandits ambushed us. They wanted your jewelry and my elixirs." She traced her hand along her breastplate. "It was dark much like tonight. The storm made it difficult to see, but you, oh, you didn't need to see. You knew by instinct, and you kicked and punched where they would be, and they were there. You were a master, Rulue." Chuckling, she tapped Minotauros' chin. "Can this Rulue still do that or has she become soft?"
"Don't bother him. Continue," Rulue ordered, Minotauros mumbling a half-hearted response.
"I wasn't as lucky. One of them was down, but they slashed through my ankle with a knife. It hurt like hell, and stupidly, I thought I was dying." She sighed and twirled her umbrella, the rain pelting off it and landing on her legs. The ache in her ankle lessoned as she spoke, the distraction more than welcomed. "But Rulue, you saved me. You didn't think twice about carrying me through the rest of the bandits. You didn't care about the nicks in your arms from their swords or the spells they threw at you. All you cared about was taking me home." She reached out for Rulue and brushed through her silky tresses. "You even let me...play with your hair."
Weakness seeped into her voice when Rulue shuddered. Her touch was unwanted, and she pulled her hand to her stomach. Rulue peered at her, her eyes wide only to soften, her thoughts a mystery to the doppelganger. The storm continued around them, but the doppelganger didn't hear the thunder or rain and heard only her heartbeat pounding in her chest.
"That...is some story," Rulue said, her gaze drifting to the mud lapping at her heels.
She glared. "You don't believe me."
Rulue sighed. "I never said I didn't. Don't put words in my mouth."
The doppelganger hardened her voice. "You're implying it."
She should have known better. Bringing up any memory from the other world was like talking to a brick wall. No one would believe her even if she presented something physical to make them think otherwise.
Even if she herself was that proof. Even if she showed them the scars lining her body from the Creator's spells and blasts. Even if she tore at her hair and cried and bled, no one would give her anything, and again, she'd be alone.
"Arle."
Her breath caught in her throat. She tensed, and her ankle throbbed so terribly that she thought she would die in Minotauros' arms. She felt him tighten his grip around her, evidently dumbfounded by the name Rulue used.
Rulue smoothed back her hair and said, "I don't know anything that you know. To me, it's a story." She cleared her throat. "But to you, it's something like your truth, right? It wouldn't be right for me to diminish your words when you're injured." She snapped her fan open and shielded her face, hints of red still making their way to the tips of her cheekbones. "Now let's, well, let's carry on. We have to fix your ankle before it becomes infected."
Her throat felt parched as she watched quicken her pace. Her body jostled when Minotauros hurried to match her steps, carefully avoiding the train of Rulue's dress, which she realized was immaculate. The pain in her ankle ebbed away, Rulue's words wrapping around her thoughts and controlling them, giving way to a small comfort blossoming in the center of her chest.
Oh, she called me Arle, she thought with a smile, closing her eyes and listening to the rain crash around them.